Wood Beam System

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a light weight decorative wood beam system. The wood beam system is comprised of at least two wood beam pieces. The wood beam pieces each have a bottom plate and two vertical plates that form a three-sided, hollow box. Each wood beam piece comprises an end with a male dado and an end with a female dado. The male and female dado ends fit over each other to create a shiplap joint. Anchor plates are fastened into a building surface and support the wood beam system. Because the wood beam system is light weight, it does not require a special anchoring system to support the real wood beams.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of woodworking. More specifically, the present invention is a system of lightweight real wood beams used as ornamentation on or in a structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, if an individual wishes to install real wood beams on a ceiling or other surface of a building, the individual must ensure that the building structure is capable of supporting the weight of the real wood beams. If the building is being newly built, there must be proper support structures included in the frame of the building. Additionally, if the building is pre-existing and the real wood beams are being added into the building, the individual must make sure that the proper support structures exist or that they are added to the building. This can be an expensive and time consuming process.

Various techniques have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,415 (Hull), U.S. Pat. No. 3,277,624 (Cornell), U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,171 (Frederiksen), U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,234 (Rosner), U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,606 (Hanson), U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,213 (Butterfield), U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,311 (Meyers), U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,377 (Beckmann), U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,159 (Pennypacker), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,800 (Meyers) to overcome the problems with installing real wood beams in buildings. However, these disclosures suffer from one or more of the following disadvantages. First, the above patents use composite material such as Styrofoam, particle board, plastic, etc. instead of real wood to reduce the weight of the beams. This distracts from the aesthetic appeal of the beams and their overall quality. Second, because these beams are made of composite material, they are easily damaged. Third, the materials used to make these composite beams do not provide enough strength to support any other fixtures that an individual may want to hang from the beams.

As such, it is desirable to provide a light weight wood beam that can be hung from any surface without attaching it to the frame of the building. The present invention provides a hollow beam that is made of real wood, yet is light enough to be coupled to any building surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a wood beam system that is light weight and easily attaches to any type of building surface. The wood beam system is created by coupling two or more wood beam pieces together and fastening the pieces to anchor plates that are attached to a surface of a building. One feature of the invention is that the wood beam pieces are constructed of real wood with a hollow center. Because the wood beam pieces are hollow, they are lightweight and easy to install, yet maintain the aesthetic appeal of real wood beams.

The wood beam system is comprised of a first beam piece, a second beam piece, and an anchor plate. The anchor plate is coupled to the surface of a building, and the first beam piece and the second beam piece are positioned over the anchor plate. The first beam piece and the second beam piece are coupled together and to the anchor plate such that the first beam piece and the second beam piece engage the building surface to which they are coupled.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a real wood beam system that will easily attach to any building surface.

A further object of this invention is to provide a real wood beam system that is light weight.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a real wood beam system that can support other fixtures.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a real wood beam system that has a hollow center where electrical wiring can be run.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its structure and its operation together with the additional object and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the wood beam system when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless specifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art or arts. If any other meaning is intended, the specification will specifically state that a special meaning is being applied to a word or phrase. Likewise, the use of the words “function” or “means” in the Description of Preferred Embodiments is not intended to indicate a desire to invoke the special provision of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6 to define the invention. To the contrary, if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6 are sought to be invoked to define the invention(s), the claims will specifically state the phrases “means for” or “step for” and a function, without also reciting in such phrases any structure, material, or act in support of the function.

Moreover, even if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 6 are invoked to define the inventions, it is intended that the inventions not be limited only to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments, but in addition, include any and all structures, materials or acts that perform the claimed function, along with any and all known or later developed equivalent structures, materials, or acts for performing the claimed function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an end view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the joint between the first beam piece and the second beam piece in the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4A shows a cross section end view of the beam system with an anchor plate coupled to a surface of a building structure.

FIG. 4B shows a cross section end view of the beam system coupled to the anchor plate and engaged to the surface of a building structure.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of two beam pieces coupled together in the preferred embodiment of the beam system.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention with straps covering the joints.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a first beam piece of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a second beam piece of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 5 shows a top view of the preferred embodiment of the beam system 100. As seen in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5, the beam system 100 comprises a first beam piece 200, a second beam piece 300, and an anchor plate 400. These pieces combined together create the beam system 100 disclosed. Preferably, the first beam piece 200 and the second beam piece 300 are made of real wood and are coupled together, as shown in FIG. 3, using a shiplap joint 210 at the connection point.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the first beam piece 200 further comprises a bottom plate 220 and two vertical plates 230, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. The bottom plate 220 has a first edge 223 and a second edge 225 that are mitered. The two vertical plates 230 both include a top edge 233 and a bottom edge 235. Only the top edges 233 of the vertical plates 230 are mitered in the preferred embodiment. The first edge 223 of the bottom plate 220 is coupled to the top edge 233 of the first vertical plate 230, and the second edge 225 of the bottom plate 220 is coupled to the top edge 233 of the second vertical plate 230. The mitered edges 223 and 225 of the bottom plate 220 and the mitered edges 233 of the two vertical plates 230 allow the coupled edges to form a 90° angle such that a hollow box with three sides is formed as depicted in the cross-section views of FIGS. 1, 4A, and 4B.

As seen in FIGS. 5 and 8, the second beam piece 300 is constructed the same way as the first beam piece 300. The bottom plate 320 has a first edge 323 and a second edge 325 that are mitered. The two vertical plates 330 both include a top edge 333 (not shown) and a bottom edge 335. Only the top edges 333 (not shown) of the vertical plates 330 are mitered. The first edge 323 of the bottom plate 320 is coupled to the top edge 333 (not shown) of the first vertical plate 330, and the second edge 325 of the bottom plate 320 is coupled to the top edge 333 (not shown) of the second vertical plate 330. The mitered edges 323 and 325 of the bottom plate 320 and the mitered edges 333 (not shown) of the two vertical plates 330 allow the coupled edges to form a 90° angle such that a hollow box with three sides is formed as depicted in the cross section views of FIGS. 1, 4A, and 4B. Further, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the width of the bottom plate 220 and 320 is 8 inches and the width of the vertical plates 230 and 330 is 7½ inches. In an alternate embodiment, the width of the bottom plate 220 and 320 is 5½ inches and the width of the vertical plates 230 and 330 is 5½ inches.

Further, the first beam piece 200 has a first end 240 and a second end 245. As seen in FIG. 7, the first end 240 of the first beam piece 200 has a male dado 250 cut into the bottom plate 220 and the two vertical plates 230. Additionally, the second end 245 of the first beam piece 200 has a female dado 255 cut into the bottom plate 220 and the two vertical plates 230. Similarly, the second beam piece 300 has a first end 340 and a second end 345, as seen in FIG. 8. The first end 340 of the second beam piece 300 has a male dado 350 cut into the bottom plate 320 and the two vertical plates 330. Moreover, the second end 345 of the second beam piece 300 has a female dado 355 cut into the bottom plate 320 and the two vertical plates 330.

The male dado 250 of the first beam piece 200 is coupled to the female dado 355 of the second beam piece 300 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. This arrangement forms the shiplap joint 210. The shiplap joint 210 is preferred because it allows the beam pieces 200 and 300 to be coupled together on the same plane. Additionally, the beam pieces 200 and 300 overlap and can be further fastened together with glue, nails, etc. or a combination of these types of fasteners.

When installing the beam system 100 to the surface of a building 500 (usually a ceiling), first the length of the surface 500 must be determined so that the proper number of beam pieces 200 and 300 can be prepared. In the preferred embodiment, the first beam piece 200 and the second beam piece 300 are 48 inches (4 feet) long when coupled together. In order for the first beam piece 200 and second beam piece 300 to be the desired length when coupled together, the male dado 250 on the first beam piece 200 and the female dado 355 on the second beam piece 300 must be cut to the same length dimensions such that they perfectly overlap. In other words, the male dado 250 on the first beam piece 200 protrudes the same length that the female dado 255 on the second beam piece 300 is inset. Because each beam piece 200 and 300 has both a male dado 250 and 350 and female dado 255 and 355, any amount of beam pieces can be coupled together to fit the dimensions of a specific building surface 500. The beam pieces at the end of the length of the surface each have one end that is cut flat such that the flat end abuts the end of the surface. In other words, there is only one end with a female or male dado.

The anchor plate 400, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, fits inside the hollow box formed by the beam pieces 200 and 300. The anchor plate 400 is preferably made of solid wood and is fastened into the surface of a building structure 500 as seen in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Because the beam system 100 is made of hollowed wood beam pieces 200 and 300, and is therefore light weight, the anchor plate 400 can be fastened into any type of building surface 500 and still secure the beam system 100. Specifically, it is not required that the anchor plate 400 be fastened into the frame of a building. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the anchor plate 400 can be fastened into drywall with drywall screws 410.

The anchor plates 400 are placed along the building surface 500 where there will be an intersection point of a first beam piece 200 and second beam piece 300. Preferably, the anchor plates 400 are fastened into the ceiling with fasteners such as screws or drywall anchors. Once the anchor plates 400 are in place, the first end 240 of the first beam piece 200 is positioned over the anchor plate 400 such that the male dado 250 is over the anchor plate 400 and the bottom edges 235 of the vertical plates 230 engage the ceiling surface 500. The second end 345 of the second beam piece 300 is also positioned over the anchor plate 400 such that the female dado 355 is fitted to the male dado 250 of the first beam piece 200 and the bottom edges 335 of the vertical plates 330 engage the ceiling surface 500. Thus, the shiplap joint 210 is created. The first and second beam pieces 200 and 300 are then fastened together with nails. This process is continued across the length of the ceiling.

During the installation process, wiring can be run through the beam pieces 200 and 300 for fixtures, speakers, alarm systems, etc. Because the beam pieces 200 and 300 are hollow, it is easy to hide wiring for additional fixtures along the ceiling surface 500. Moreover, fixtures, such as ceiling fans, lighting, etc., can be safely hung from the installed beam pieces 200 and 300 because the anchor plates 400 provide adequate support for additional fixtures.

Once all of the beam pieces are in place, pre-cut straps 600, as seen in FIG. 6, are wrapped around the joints for added aesthetic value. It is preferred that the straps 600 are made of leather and further fitted with decorative clavos 610 as seen in FIG. 6.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the Description of Preferred Embodiments. While these descriptions directly describe the one embodiment, it is understood that those skilled in the art may conceive modifications and/or variations to the specific embodiments shown and described herein. Any such modifications or variations that fall within the purview of this description are intended to be included therein as well. Unless specifically noted, it is the intention of the inventor that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meanings to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art(s). The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment and best mode of the invention known to the applicant at the time of filing the application has been presented and is intended for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application and to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. 

1. A wood beam system wherein said wood beam system is comprised of: A. a first beam piece; B. a second beam piece; C. an anchor plate; D. wherein said anchor plate is coupled to a surface; E. wherein said first beam piece and said second beam piece are positioned over said anchor plate; and F. wherein said first beam piece and said second beam piece are coupled together and to said anchor plate such that said first beam piece and said second beam piece engage said surface.
 2. The wood beam system of claim 1 wherein said first beam piece further comprises: A. a bottom plate, wherein said bottom plate further comprises:
 1. a first edge; and
 2. a second edge; B. a pair of vertical plates, wherein each vertical plate further comprises:
 1. a top edge; and
 2. a bottom edge; C. wherein said first edge of said bottom plate is coupled to said top edge of the first vertical plate; D. wherein said second edge of said bottom plate is coupled to said top edge of the second vertical plate; and E. wherein said bottom edges of said vertical plates engage said surface.
 3. The wood beam system of claim 2 wherein said second beam piece further comprises: A. a bottom plate, wherein said bottom plate further comprises:
 1. a first edge; and
 2. a second edge; B. a pair of vertical plates, wherein each vertical plate further comprises:
 1. a top edge; and
 2. a bottom edge; C. wherein said first edge of said bottom plate is coupled to said top edge of the first vertical plate; D. wherein said second edge of said bottom plate is coupled to said top edge of the second vertical plate; and E. wherein said bottom sides of said vertical plates engage said surface.
 4. The wood beam system of claim 3 wherein said top edges of said vertical plates and said first and second edges of said bottom plates are mitered.
 5. The wood beam system of claim 3 wherein said first beam piece further comprises: A. a first end; and B. a second end; C. wherein said first end comprises a male dado and said second end comprises a female dado.
 6. The wood beam system of claim 5 wherein said second beam piece further comprises: A. a first end; and B. a second end; C. wherein said first end comprises a male dado and said second end comprises a female dado.
 7. The wood beam system of claim 6 wherein said male dado on said first end of said first beam piece fits over said female dado on said second end of said second beam piece such that said first beam piece and said second beam piece are coupled together to form a shiplap joint.
 8. The wood beam system of claim 7 wherein said shiplap joint is fastened together using nails.
 9. The wood beam system of claim 8 wherein said shiplap joint is covered with a strap.
 10. The wood beam system of claim 9 wherein said strap is leather.
 11. The wood beam system of claim 8 wherein said strap further comprises at least one clavo.
 12. A method of installing a wood beam system comprising the steps of: A. creating a first beam piece; B. creating a second beam piece; C. coupling an anchor plate to a surface; D. positioning said first beam piece over sand anchor plate such that said first beam piece is coupled to said anchor plate; E. positioning said second beam piece over said anchor plate such that said second beam piece is coupled to said anchor plate; and F. coupling said first beam piece and said second beam piece together such that said first beam piece and said second beam piece engage said surface.
 13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of: A. creating said first beam piece, wherein said first beam piece further comprises:
 1. a bottom plate, wherein said bottom plate further comprises: i. a first edge; and ii. a second edge;
 2. a pair of vertical plates, wherein each vertical plate further comprises: iii. a top edge; and iv. a bottom edge;
 3. wherein said first edge of said bottom plate is coupled to said top edge of the first vertical plate;
 4. wherein said second edge of said bottom plate is coupled to said top edge of the second vertical plate; and
 5. wherein said bottom edges of said vertical plates engage said surface.
 14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of: A. creating said second beam piece, wherein said second beam piece further comprises:
 1. a bottom plate, wherein said bottom plate further comprises: i. a first edge; and ii. a second edge;
 2. a pair of vertical plates, wherein each vertical plate further comprises: i. a top edge; and ii. a bottom edge;
 3. wherein said first edge of said bottom plate is coupled to said top edge of the first vertical plate;
 4. wherein said second edge of said bottom plate is coupled to said top edge of the second vertical plate; and
 5. wherein said bottom sides of said vertical plates engage said surface.
 15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of: A. mitering said top edges of said vertical plates and said first and second edges of said bottom plates.
 16. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of: A. creating said first beam piece, wherein said first beam piece further comprises:
 1. a first end; and
 2. a second end;
 3. wherein said first end comprises a male dado and said second end comprises a female dado.
 17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of: A. creating said second beam piece, wherein said second beam piece further comprises:
 1. a first end; and
 2. a second end;
 3. wherein said first end comprises a male dado and said second end comprises a female dado.
 18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of: A. positioning said male dado on said first end of said first beam piece over said female dado on said second end of said second beam piece such that said first beam piece and said second beam piece are coupled together to form a shiplap joint.
 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising the step of: A. fastening said shiplap joint together using nails.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of: A. covering said shiplap joint with a strap, wherein said strap is leather.
 21. The method of claim 20 further comprising the step of: A. covering said shiplap joint with at least one clavo. 